Yes, you read the title correctly. There is a lot of internet chatter about placing animals, specifically your household companions on a ketogenic diet to improve their health and regulate their weight. So should you put your pets on keto?
Laughing at Pets on Keto
My first reaction was to laugh, but then I started researching it and quickly found out there is anecdotal evidence that points to this being a good move for pets, especially dogs diagnosed with cancer or cats prone to diabetes mellitus (diabetes). Prone meaning older or overweight.
An organization called Keto Pet Sanctuary was founded in 2014 to house dogs that were give a terminal cancer diagnosis to live out their final days in comfort. The founders started placing the dogs on a ketogenic diet and began mapping the progression of the disease through positron emission tomography that in layman’s terms (such as myself) is a fancy x-ray that shows improvement or worsening of a condition.
Some Improvements
The scanner showed noticeable improvements in the dogs that were placed on a ketogenic diet and saw better outcomes for others. There is no established peer review on this yet. But it is a firsthand account of a ketogenic diet helping man’s best friend.
Other striking things I found were the American Kennel Association saying a dog’s diet should consist of 70% fatty meats, 25% plant materials, and 5% other carbs. Do those numbers sound familiar? Cats are in the same wheelhouse with recommendations of 80% fatty meats and 20% plant materials. This is based on the ancestral diet of dogs and cats when they lived off the land. We must remember they are carnivores.
We can also add to this that obesity in pets has become a significant health concern. The 2019 VET Report says most pets are 10 to 20% heavier than they should be. The report points to the use of fillers in commercial pet food and people allowing free eating with the dish always being full. One could argue that the ability to continue always eating and using substances that are “filler” have led to the obesity crisis in humans. The parallel is frightening.
Is It Practical to Put Your Pets on Keto
From a practical standpoint placing your pet on a ketogenic diet could be both expensive and time consuming. Very similar excuses to what most of us used to say before starting the diet ourselves. I must wonder if maybe we took the time to properly prepare high quality ingredients for our pets. And served smaller portions if maybe the expense would be the same.
Other drawbacks sound very familiar as well. The American Kennel Club reports as your pet transitions to a low carb life they will become lethargic, possibly suffer from diarrhea or constipation, and become moody for a short period of time. I’ll be damned… it appears Fido will get the keto flu. I’m curious if more salt in their diet and increased water consumption will help?
There Are Recipes
A quick internet search on the subject will bring up hundreds of recipes for pet keto meals and treats. You will also find products and bagged food geared specifically for ketogenic pets. It amazes me something I initially took as a joke is becoming an entire industry.
With all this information in front of us will us crazy cat lovers be switching the keto cats over to our lifestyle. Likely not. It would be a lot of work with four of them running around the house and quite frankly they are a very happy bunch with the life they lead. It does make me wonder though if we could improve their lives the same way we have ours. If anyone reading this has firsthand experience, please let us know. I find the subject fascinating now.
Let’s be honest. Goomba could stand to lose a couple of pounds.
Bill
